Return to life through Contrology

Did you know Joseph Pilates wrote two books, Return to Life Through Contrology and Your Health? Our studio follows the steps of The Pilates Center, which for 30 years has kept Joseph Pilates’ legacy alive by continuing to pursue his message based on ‘Return to Life through Contrology’.

Here are a few messages extracted from his book Return to Life through Contrology, written 75 years ago, that we use as a guideline to promote health as we practice and teach Classical Pilates. 

“Good posture can be successfully acquired only when the entire mechanism of the body is under perfect control.” 

 

 

“SQUEEZE EVERY ATOM OF AIR FROM YOUR LUNGS UNTIL THEY ARE ALMOST AS FREE OF AIR AS IS A VACUUM.”  Joseph Pilates

 

 

“When rising from the floor or lowering yourself to the floor, always do so with a ‘rolling’ or ‘unrolling’ motion exactly in imitation of a wheel, equipped with imaginary vertebrae rolling forward or backwards. Vertebra by vertebra try to roll and ‘unroll’. These rolling and unrolling movements tend to gradually but surely restore the spine.” 

“Constantly keep in mind the fact that you are not interested in merely developing bulging muscles but rather flexible ones. Bulging muscles hinder the attainment of flexibility because the over-developed muscles interfere with the properly developing of the under-developed muscles. True flexibility can be achieved only when all muscles are uniformly developed.”

Last but not least, the famous quote that helps us remember the importance of fully emptying the lungs on the exhalation:

“SQUEEZE EVERY ATOM OF AIR FROM YOUR LUNGS UNTIL THEY ARE ALMOST AS FREE OF AIR AS IS A VACUUM.”